


A Weyr's Aid

by ScribbleJotterAmy



Category: Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-07 22:01:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7731358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScribbleJotterAmy/pseuds/ScribbleJotterAmy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Weyrwoman Saella receives a call for aid during the worst blizzard she's ever known.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Weyr's Aid

**Author's Note:**

> Based entirely off a dream I had a while back. I may add more to put in the POV of one of the blue or green riders.

A Weyrs Aid

“Weyrwoman Saella?” The man’s voice wavered slightly from exhaustion as she welcomed him to the lower caverns.

“I am she, holder.” She looked at the man who had so recently arrived at the Weyr mounted on a runner beast that had almost been dead from the cold despite the thickness of it’s winter coat, and the blanket that had been thrown over it to protect from the snow storm that was blazing across the high ranges. The man, who had been as bundled in thick furs as it was possible to be and still ride, was in little better state. “What brings you to the Weyr from High Reaches in such weather holder…?”

“Veranning Weyrwoman Saella” He said, bowing a little unsteadily. One of the nephews Saella noted shedding her own furs in the warms of the inner caverns. She reached forward to grip his arm as he looked like he would fall in shedding his own raiment and guided him to a seat near the fires, the hot klah and steaming pie already waiting. Veranning followed unsteadily, and sank gratefully into a seat as she perched on another. His eyes drifted to the klah pot. 

“Klah first, explanations later. You are more than half frozen from your ride.” She deftly served them both, and he took the cup with trembling white fingers. He’d be lucky if he didn’t have the ice bite in them, she noted with that colour, and she made a mental request of Mossath to have the healer attend them.

He held the klah mug in his hands “I come on an errand of great urgency Weyrwoman Saella, from Lord Holder Ingron himself.”

It could hardly have been anything other than the most dire emergency to send someone to the weyr in this weather she noted grimly while keeping silent to encourage him to continue.

“The High Reaches were holding it’s annual fell run Weyrwoman. We were not expecting the winter to close so soon or surely it would have been cancelled.”

Oh dear. Saella reached out to Mossath. There was no way they could leave the runners out there unaided for the weather was forecast to last several days, and then all the paths would be covered in drifts of snow – easy enough to traverse for those prepared, but not for the holders that had gathered for the great Reaches run. They’d need volunteers to rescue them from among the dragons hunkered down in their individual weyrs or in the hatching cavern with Rannath to wait out the storm, and they’d have to be skilled at close flying in foul conditions.

“How many holders, and which route?” she asked sternly as volunteers reported in to Mossath, and she saw riders in the caverns start, glance her way, then leave the room hastily to harness their dragons. “And why was the weyr not consulted as to the forecast?” 

Thirty six, weyrwoman, On the Barrier Road towards Lewis” the man said, quailing under the brief look of fury she let slip before controlling herself. “and three of them lord holders sons, two lord holders daughters.” He added

Not that it mattered when lives were on the line, but if any of them died, High Reaches hold would be deep in the mire with the Conclave. She railed silently about the stupidity of not consulting the weyr for a weather forecast and the choice of the route this close to the onset of full winter, and why couldn’t they have stuck to the coast roads? She’d known about the planned race of course. Some of the riders usually entered, but with the forecasted weather, and all the work to prepare the weyr for the storm no-one in the weyr had thought it would go ahead, and no-one in their right mind would want to fly in this. Mossath reported a full wing of blues and greens assembling for the rescue party. She mentally praised their bravery. This was not going to be an easy rescue. The Barrier road was rocky, narrow and liable to both avalanche and odd gusting winds. 

“How long have they been missed?” she asked, trying to get as much useful information on wha5t the likely state these people would be in from the man. 

“We realised they could not find their way back to the hold the day after they set out. The storm just blew up over night Weyrwoman.”

“A fact Ingron would have known had he checked with us instead of just sending runners out into the cold because there was no threat of fall. How long did it take you to set out once this was realised?” it would have taken him the better part of a day to get to the weyr in normal conditions. In this snow? Probably two. There were almost certainly going to be deaths.

“Almost straight away weyrwoman. I volunteered.” He added before finally taking a sip of the klah.

Saella nodded approvingly at him even as she suspected that he either had family out on the run, or was desperate to impress the irascible Lord holder in some way. There was no way a drum message would have travelled safely this far in this or they’d have known much sooner.

“You did the right thing. A wing is about to set out to rescue them. They will be brought here, and their injuries tended, once the stom clears a message will be sent to .” she cocjked her head. The green that had gone ahead of her comrades had 

“Brave man.” She said, rising as a fur clad and snow dusted journeyman healer hurried over to them. “This man needs tending for cold exposure, there will be approximately thirty six others being brought in shortly. You’d best prepare your staff for them” Saella said. The infirmary had only just emptied of the last of the thread scored riders injured before the cold had brought on the crackdust. It had been a nasty fall. These rescues would fill it to capacity once more.

“Yes Weyrwoman Of course.” Journeyman healer Avala said, startled.

Saella nodded shortly at the healer, squeezed the Holders shoulder reassuringly. “We’ll find them.” And went in search of the duty cook.

 

*****

 

Ten hours later Saella was in her office wearily writing up the daily report. 

The day continues Blizzard, winds strong, changeable. High Reaches sent for aid of 36 runners lost in the storm on the Barrier Road. Blues and greens mostly from J’gall’s wing and V’rem’s volunteered for rescue duty as most capable of keeping in the air uninjured in the conditions and topography. 30 survivors recovered, 6 bodies. Cause of death in one a fall and broken neck. The rest hypothermia, one the Fort Lord’s third son Garanthan. Word sent to Fort Weyr to forward as conditions at High Reaches are still not safe for flying. Weyr Injuries: Green Sillith wrenched wing, Blue Agorath a broken spar. Both being tended by the Weyr Healer in the Hatching Cavern. All survivors being tended by the healers. The hold will likewise be notified of their rescue when the storm passes. I will risk no more dragons this day

Commendations to the following and a doubled stipend for a month for volunteering to fly in the worst weather I’ve encountered in my years as weyrwoman on an errand of mercy…


End file.
